With the submission of two additional proposals last week, we now have five major proposals for post-2026 Colorado River management.
The folks at the Water and Tribes Intitiative have helpfully organized them in a single place. (Click on the
“Proposed Alternatives for Post-2026 Operating Guidelines” bubble.)
Tribal Principles
A set of guiding principles proposed by 17 of the basin’s sovereign indigenous communities. (click here)
Upper Basin Proposal
What the label says, you already know about this one. (click here)
Lower Basin Proposal
What the label says, you already know about this one. (press release, alternative, presentation)
Environmental NGOs
The “Big Seven” Colorado River Basin environmental groups (click here)
Lake Powell/Grand Canyon/Lake Mead Ecosystem Proposal
A proposal from Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn, and John Fleck suggesting ways to manage the storage and distribution of water to provide more flexibility for environmental and other non-water supply benefits. (click here)
Re the Schmidt, Kuhn, Fleck proposal, does the Park Service have a water right for the Grand Canyon NP? If so, what is the priority date and its quantity? I would submit that if the Park Service does not have such a right or that it needs additional water, that it acquire such rights from willing sellers, just like everyone else has to do in order to firm up their water supply. I don’t think the burden of flows through the canyon should be totally on the backs of the lower basin water users. Yes, they should conserve and such water be stored to firm their supplies and help the canyon flows, but it shouldn’t be totally on their backs. A shared responsibility.